Clarenita Hamilton, of Southern Serenity Ranch, is looking forward to the Mid-South Horse Show Association’s 27th annual Charity Horse Show benefiting Youth Town this weekend.

“The annual Charity Horse Show is going to be great this year,” she said. “We get back from the (Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration) show in Shelbyville just in time to get ready for this one, but we’ve never missed it, not once in 27 years. Lots of friends will be coming to Jackson, and it’s just a lot of fun.”

Clarenita and her husband, Howard, who was inducted into the Tennessee Walking Horse Hall of Fame in 2006, share their Carroll County ranch with more than 70 horses. Clarenita is involved with the operation in addition to entertaining their customers and guests, both at the ranch and at horse shows across the country.

Howard is one of the most respected names in the industry and is considered one of the top trainers in the world.

His interest in horses began when he was a child growing up in Jackson. At every opportunity, he would walk the two miles from his home to Chalmus Davenport’s walking horse barn to watch the trainer ride.

Back home he would go with his newfound knowledge to practice with his pony, Goldie. He taught Goldie the walking gaits and started participating in local saddle club shows. Then in 1964, as a teenager, he made his first trip to the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration in Shelbyville.

A few years later, his father, Bill Hamilton, caught the walking horse fever, and together they continued to make every Celebration until Mr. Bill’s death.

After graduating with honors in zoology and chemistry from the University of Tennessee at Martin and teaching at Jackson State Community College, Hamilton got the itch to be back in the saddle again. He and Clarenita opened Southern Serenity Ranch, and this training operation has seen unparalleled success with over 60 world and world grand championships.

Needless to say, the Hamilton family, which includes three daughters — Lauren, Jenna and Anna, who all have won world championships competing at the Celebration — are well known on the walking horse circuit.

The Hamiltons make the trek to Shelbyville each year in hopes of another championship. The camaraderie of those who have been part of the Celebration for years ensures that it will be part homecoming, part fierce competition.

Clashes between great horses and rivalries among trainers have interspersed history and contribute to the thrill of it all, but in the end one horse is selected above all the others. Simply put, the Celebration symbolizes the best in the world. Howard knows and trains world champions, and his family prepares throughout the year for the 11 days they will spend at the epicenter of the walking horse industry — the Celebration in Shelbyville just before Labor Day weekend.

When the Hamiltons pack for a horse show, that includes 15 or more horses with all their supplies and tack, show riding attire and often food for tailgating in addition to what one might throw into a suitcase for a weekend trip or a two-week jaunt.

Clarenita is planning a small tailgate add-a-dish with the Southern Serenity Ranch customers who will be coming to Jackson from several states for the Mid-South Charity Horse Show on Saturday at Pugh Bourne Park in Jackson. The Hamiltons will be treating their guests not only to a big dose of Southern hospitality but to homemade ice cream and a selection of potluck desserts.

“The Knights of Columbus will be manning the food stands, which are always popular,” Clarenita said. “You can smell that concession food cooking, and you just have to try it. They will have a little bit of everything from snow cones to homemade desserts for sale.”

“Our horse show chairman, Anne Coffman, always makes Forgotten Cookies, which everyone really likes. We’ve been friends since Tigrett Junior High School, and she’s the one who introduced me to Howard on a blind date to a horse show in Newbern 40 years ago,” Clarenita laughed. “I was a city girl but always wanted a horse. Howard was a country boy and always had a horse. We met at a horse show, fell in love and got married. We have three precious daughters who love horses the way we do, and we’re living out our dreams on our horse farm.”

“There’s a quote from Winston Churchill that we have hanging above our door: ‘There’s something about the outside of a horse that’s good for the inside of a man,’” Howard beamed.

Clarenita is a great cook and an artist whose sense of style shows when she sets up a tailgating buffet or a dinner party at the ranch. The Hamiltons’ collection of equine serving pieces, fabrics, art and the many trophies and ribbons they have won at horse shows over the years are perfect for creating beautiful tablescapes.

In addition, Clarenita inherited some recipes from Howard’s mom, including the brownies that she always took to horse shows and potluck suppers. Gladys Hamilton’s Quick Brownies have practically become a Southern Serenity Ranch signature dish.

Now Clarenita has expanded the menu of favorites to include some of the delicious recipes that others have shared with her at horse shows. Lisa Shockey-Kessell’s Monkey Bread is addicting, according to Howard. Another keeper is Keeneland’s Bread Pudding with Maker’s Mark Bourbon Sauce, a recipe given to Clarenita by friends Phyllis and Larry Stigers from Lexington, Ky., who will be in Jackson for the Charity Horse Show.

“Kim’s homemade ice cream is a must if we’re tailgating! Kim and Gary Gilmore are from McKenzie and have been friends of ours and showing horses with us for about 34 years,” Clarenita said. “Their daughter, Kendra, is a senior at UT Martin and is an excellent rider as well.”

As you can see, horse shows are a night for the entire family. Come early and grab a seat in the bleachers or bring your own lawn chairs if you prefer. Admission is free, and the event will include an exhibition by 2013 World Grand Champion Tennessee Walking Horse I Am Jose, owned by Billy Max and Debbie Woods.

Volunteers from the Mid-South Horse Show Association will host an extensive silent auction, pony rides, petting zoo, barbecue, grilled burgers and snow cones. Mike Roby and his band will provide banjo picking throughout the evening. The pre-show at 5:30 p.m. features up and coming singer Tera Townsend, an “American Idol” hopeful.

The 2015 Lights Camera Fashion models will present ribbons and trophies to the winners of 30 classes. A celebrity class will feature area elected officials and politicians in the ring on horseback.

If you’ve ever been to a horse show, you know when the organ music sounds from the intercom that the ring soon will be filled with incredible horses and riders astride, dressed to the nines. It’s show time!

The horses sashay around the ring, displaying a powerful and precise gait, pumping their front legs high into the air as their rear feet glide past the front hoof’s imprints.

There’s nothing that will excite a Tennessee Walking Horse enthusiast like the sound of “Flat Walk Boogie,” which was written by the official organist for the Celebration, Larry Bright.

You’ll hear the classic horse show tunes in Jackson, you’ll feel the excitement and you’ll have a chance to see some of the Tennessee walking horses that will be competing at the Celebration for the world championship. Then perhaps you’ll understand why Howard, Clarenita and their girls love these magnificent creatures.

If you go

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The Mid-South Horse Show Association’s 27th annual Charity Horse Show benefiting Youth Town will be held Saturday, rain or shine, at Pugh Bourne Park, located at 343 Oakfield Road.

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The Charity Horse Show benefits Youth Town, which is accredited to provide residential treatment services, services for substance use conditions, and wilderness and therapeutic outdoor services to young men.

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Entertainment will begin at 5:30 p.m., and the show will begin at 6 p.m.

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For more information, contact Cynthia Wright at (731) 234-8411 or visit www.facebook.com/MidSouthHorseShowAssociation.